Home Safe Home

With his wife, Rena, pushing his wheelchair, Tom Tartaglia rolled down the aluminum ramp outside their home in Wilmington, Delaware. “Remember to pick your feet up,” she nudged him. “You’re leading the way,” he teased back. Just a few months ago, this impromptu trip outside to feel the late-summer breeze wouldn’t have been possible. After coming home following surgery at Christiana Hospital, Tom discovered his mobility challenges impacted not only his life, but Rena’s, too. He couldn’t walk on his own and Rena couldn’t maneuver his wheelchair down the front steps. In their bathroom, the large pedestal sink and high tub walls made it hard for Tom to take a shower, even with assistance.

Thanks to a partnership between ChristianaCare and Good Neighbors, a nonprofit organization that provides essential home repairs to qualifying homeowners, the Tartaglias were able to make several safety improvements to their home, including the installation of the outdoor ramp. The repairs have enabled them to remain safely in their home of 28 years and to safely leave the house to see his cardiologist. And it has eased their family’s worries.  “I don't want him falling anymore. That's what got him into where he is now,” Rena Tartaglia said. “We’re just so grateful to have this work done for us at no cost. Nothing like that has ever happened to us.”

For homeowners who meet the eligibility guidelines, teams from Good Neighbors make critical home repairs to help them stay independent in their homes. All repairs are done according to Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines to further ensure safety. But it’s the extra time that team members spend with patients to fully understand their challenges and needs that make Healthy Homes so special, said JoAnn Bruch, LMSW, a senior medical social worker with ChristianaCare HomeHealth.

“I might do a referral to Good Neighbors for a banister or a grab bar, but they'll go out and meet with the patient, and they'll see many other things that might need to be modified to make that home accessible,” Bruch said. “It’s a wonderful partnership for our patients.” After meeting with the Tartaglias, a team from Good Neighbors spent half a day installing an outdoor ramp so Tom could be wheeled in and out of his house. Project manager Greg Corner also removed the existing sink and replaced it with a smaller one to accommodate Tom’s wheelchair. He added a higher toilet and cut out a portion of the couple’s bathroom tub to make it easier for Tom to get in.

“Getting referrals from ChristianaCare allows us to connect with neighbors we otherwise would never have connected with, and that is such a blessing. And when we need additional input about a project, we can always talk with their ChristianaCare physical therapist or occupational therapist to get a little bit more information about what this neighbor has been through and some guidance on what’s going to help make really good modifications for them,” said Corner, who works on Good Neighbors projects with his wife, Lori. “You can really see the impact of making these modifications and building these relationships. Now they know they can come and go from their home on their own. They know that they can get in and out of the bathtub without having to worry about falling. It relieves so much anxiety.”

Good Neighbors was founded as a Christian ministry with a mission of service to help make homes safer, healthier and more livable for those in need, said executive director Harold Naylor. Although the organization is based in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 65% of the participants are from New Castle County, Delaware.

Healthy Homes, which focuses on the intersection of health and safety for homeowners, is making aging in place a reality for an increasing number of Delaware and Pennsylvania residents. Naylor said there has been a 85% reduction in falls and trips to the emergency room for Good Neighbors participants who have had safety repairs completed, based on patient-reported data. “Aging in place is actually an extension of our motto, which is to restore hope by repairing homes,” Naylor said. “When patients feel comfortable in their homes, they have hope, dignity and a real sense of purpose.”

Jacqueline Ortiz, MPhil, chief community health impact officer at ChristianaCare, said the partnership with Good Neighbors reflects ChristianaCare’s ongoing commitment to service and keeping people healthy at home. ChristianaCare has provided funding to Good Neighbors for the Healthy Homes program since 2021. “The downstream impact of keeping even one individual fall-free in their home is unbelievable. In addition to health, you’re preserving independence,” Ortiz said. “It’s unbelievably critical to so many outcomes and it speaks to the kind of impact we can make in providing those support resources for those folks who need them.” For Tom Tartaglia, the addition of the wheelchair ramp at the front door gets him one step closer to his favorite pastime: tinkering with his cars in the garage behind his house. He’s already thinking about checking oil levels and finding out what might need his attention. Hearing her husband’s to-do list puts a smile on Rena’s face. “I'm going to take him around back, and we can sit under the tree,” she said. “We can enjoy being home.”